Move 'em on, head 'em up. Head 'em up, move 'em on.....

Remember the theme song 'rawhide,' lyrics by Blues Brothers?
That is what I am going to feel like at about 4am tomorrow morning. We are finally heading to Florida for my niece's wedding and this will be my last post for a couple of weeks.

Ironic really, we are leaving one, "it's about time" sunny state for another sunny state, when the sunny state we are leaving hasn't been sunny in weeks. Now, it's finally going to be sunny, and we are leaving. Not to mention the sunny state we are heading to is recording temps in the 100s. OMG!

Anyway, I can't wait to see both of my sisters and their families and I am really looking forward to seeing my niece tie the knot. I am so happy for her. Like her mom and dad, Lindsay and George are also high school sweethearts! How cute!

We are planning to drive most of the way, only stopping once to sleep, so I probably won't have much of an opportunity to take many pics of my trip. If I see something that I think you will enjoy however, I will be sure to capture the moment.

While planning our trip, I stumbled upon this great AAA gas calculator. If you have any trips planned, you need to check it out. All you have to do is enter your start city and destination then the make, model and year of your car and it calculates the gas price for you. According to this calculator, we will spend $347.60 on gas. It sounds like a lot of money, but it sure beats the price of flying times five! I'll be curious to see how accurate it is upon our return. If I remember to keep the receipts that is.

Stay safe and come back to see me in July!

e.l.f. Deals

e.l.f. is 5 years old and to celebrate they're offering 5 weeks of special anniversary deals.

This week get mineral makeup for 50% off mineral makeup with coupon 5FOR5WOW.


Week of June 29: Free flip flops with $5 order
Week of July 6: 50% off Studio makeup

Check it out!

Should teenagers have credit cards?

This is a question that every parent faces at one time or another. As with any teen issue there are two very relevant sides and both sides have some pretty good arguments.

The Pros - A teen having a credit card would teach them early on how to budget money and make sound financial decisions. They would learn that if they want something and are responsible enough to work to get it, that they can get it now and pay for it later. Credit cards are nice to have in an emergency, like a car repair or a taxi ride home.

The Cons - The peer pressure while hanging out at the mall with friends is stronger when the credit card allows them to give in to the pressure of buying those cute designer shoes to wear to the "party tonight"...that they didn't really need to begin with. Or to pay for the pizza delivery because they are the only one with any "money."

Without that credit card they would have to wait and earn the money first. With the credit card, it can be purchased with no immediate consequences, but possibly forgotten the next month....hurting their credit scores.

So, what is a parent to do with this dilemma? You could hope that you have educated them well enough that they won’t go crazy. But that’s not very re-assuring.

A better option might well be the pre loaded debit card. You can buy them almost anywhere nowadays and load on what you would allow them to spend, or even their allowance or part of their paycheck. But, if they are working then only do that for them for the first month and let THEM figure out how to handle the card going forward. Ofcourse assuming that up until this point you have supplied them with an educational value that goes far beyond its monetary value.

When purchasing these cards, be sure to read the fine print for usage fees and activiation fees! Some are really high.

If they go crazy with it, the card will stop them when it’s empty, you can explain to them that if the card should reach zero the person swiping the card for them will inform them that the card was declined and they will have to figure out how to explain that to the friends.

Personally, I think credit cards can easily ruin a teens credit before they even have a chance to establish it. I plan to set my kids up with a checking account and debit card. That way when they run out of money, they run out and no financial damages are incurred and they learn to live by a budget.

Something to be proud of?

Now, I am a huge fan of texting, but wow!

Samantha Gross from the Associated Press wrote an article today about 15-year old Kate Moore from Des Moines, Iowa winning $50,000 as the finalist for the LG US National Texting Championship. Huh?

Samantha says in the article to, "Let your kid text during dinner! Let your kid text during school! After all, she said, "Your kid could win money and publicity and a phone." During dinner? What about family time? And, I could be wrong, but aren't they suppose to be paying attention in school?

It appears Kate's 14,000 texts-per-month habit paid off....literally. Kate took home the $50,000 reward just eight months after she got her first cell phone. Did they say 14,000 per month?

Her speedy and accurate performance, beat out 20 other finalists from around the country over two days of challenges such as texting blindfolded and texting while maneuvering through a moving obstacle course. Maybe next we'll see her on Britain's Got Talent!

According to Samantha, she outtexted 14-year-old Morgan Dynda, of Savannah, GA in the final showdown. Both girls had to text three lengthy phrases without making any mistakes on the required abbreviations, capitalization or punctuation. At least they are learning grammar and punctuation, that's good.

The winner pays no attention to the claims that she is too focused on virtual communications, saying that while she has sometimes had her phone taken away from her in school, she keeps good grades, performs in school plays and socializes with friends — in person — on the weekends. Wow, and I can't even find time to work and raise a family.

And, in addition to all of that, she finds time to send about 400 to 470 texts a day. Did she say, a day? I am up to 20 on some days, but clearly, she's got me beat.

Among her uses of the text messages? Studying for exams with friends, which she says is better done by text because she can look back at the messages to review. Or cheat, whatever need be.

Anywho, there were over 250,000 people who tried to get a spot in the competition, all 22 or younger with some winning their spots by being the fastest people to text responses to the televised ads. Guess that leaves me out.

It's the third year for the texting competition, sponsored by LG Electronics Inc.'s mobile-phones division. But it's the first time that it was held at a flashy sound stage with an illuminated platform and surrounded by TV cameras. LG, based in Seoul, South Korea, is considering using the footage in a televised special of some kind. Sounds like a Hannah Montana concert, sweet!

Seriously though, good for Kate. If I thought my two teens could have won 50 Gs, I would have pulled them out of school for the year to practice. Wink, wink.

Keep texting!

What are Toe Socks?

My son asked me the other day what toe socks were. For some reason that struck me as funny. How could he not know what toe socks are? Am I that old?

Have you ever owned a pair of toesocks? If you haven't, or if you're like many people that I've talked to and assume they are uncomfortable, let me tell you - they're not.

I actually find socks with toes to be pretty comfortable. When socks have compartments for your individual toes, your toes can move more freely - the feeling is much like being barefoot, but with the softness.

Plus, during colder weather toe socks keep your feet warmer than traditional socks - although they do take up more room in the toe of your shoe. Not to mention, they are a lot of fun when you go somewhere that you have to take your shoes off.

Check out the site below. They have a lot of fun styles to choose from.

Sock Dreams - Sockdreams.com is the ultimate site for all varieties of sock-lovers, featuring luxurious materials, and fabulous styles.

Foot Traffic - Includes novelty prints like hearts, clouds and cheetah, as well as striped, fuzzy, and ankle versions.

Sock Grams - With so many socks to choose from, you can craft the perfect Sock Gram starting at $9.95!

Bubble socks

Cow Utter socks

Urinetown

Last week, my daughter was cast in Urinetown. Yup. I said it....Urinetown.

Urinetown is said to be, one of the most uproariously funny musicals in recent years. It's a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is nearly non-existant.

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, controled by a single company that profits by charging admission to pee.

One of those charged to pee decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! The privilege to pee is expensive and dangerous. Anyone who refuses to pay to pee is immediately and without question hauled off to Urinetown.

What is Urinetown? Nobody knows, because those who are sent there never return to say. No worries however, it's really a love story and the revolution takes place all before the end of Act I.

Will the revolution succeed? Can true love be found in Urinetown? You've gotta come see the show to find out. If you're local, check it out. It runs from August 7th - August 15th. Stay tuned for more details.

Vichy skin consultations at CVS

For months my teenage daughter has been asking me to take her to the mall for one of those beauty consultations, but with the cost of make up at the mall, that is not happening. Today however, I found out that Vichy Laboratories has consultants at CVS.

Vichy Laboratoires is the No. 1 skincare brand in European pharmacies. They offer a diverse range of allergy-tested products. These products combine soothing Vichy Thermal Spa Water with the latest ingredient innovations stemming from dermatological research.

Despite being frequently associated with teenagers and oily skin, imperfections can appear at any age and on any skin type, due to skin imbalances, stress, environment, hormonal changes or use of inadequate skincare products.

Visit your local CVS and get a personalized skin analysis by a trained Vichy expert who will be able to recommend products that best suit your skin type, offer personalized skincare recommendation and complimentary samples adapted to your skin's needs.

I took home their Lift Activ CxP Day Biolifting Daily Care - Anti-Wrinkle And Firming. Skin is visibly re-tightened, wrinkles are smoothed out from within. Breakthrough Technology continuously releases pure Vitamin C' into the skin for 24 hours and the Aqualia Thermal Cream Fortifying & Soothing 24Hr Hydrating Care.

Aqualia Thermal Cream offers 24 hours of continuous hydration via a patented "sprinkler-like" delivery system that infuses the skin with anti-oxidant, mineral-rich Vichy Thermal Spa Water to fortify the skin.This refreshing, lightweight cream is formulated with unique "ceramide-like" polymer mimics the shape of skin’s natural ceramides, allowing for instant penetration. Skin feels soft, supple and comfortable.